Battle of Gniew

The Battle of Gniew occurred from 22 September to 1 October 1626 during the Polish-Swedish Wars. The battle was inconclusive, as both sides achieved their objectives; the Poles succeeded in defending Gdansk, while the Swedes succeeded in defending Gniew.

On 6 July 1626, following the capture of Livonia, the 13,000-strong Swedish army under King Gustavus Adolphus landed at Pilawa in the Duchy of Prussia, which did not resist the Swedish landings. The Swedes marched against the Vistula, taking several towns along the way. The big urban center of Gdansk was the most serious obstacle to the Swedes, as it was six times the size of Stockholm and heavily defended. The Polish king Sigismund III Vasa led an army to relieve the city from the Swedish threat.

Sigismund besieged the Swedish fort at Gniew, leading to Gustavus Adolphus rushing to relieve the fort; the two sides met in battle for over a week from late September to early October. The fighting surged back and forth, and Gustavus Adolphus ultimately succeeding in repelling the attacking Poles on the first day of battle. On 29 September, the Swedish infantry defeated the Polish cavalry, and both sides suffered similar losses. In the final battle on 1 October, the Swedes launched massive assaults against the Poles, and a Polish counterattack failed due to a lack of gunpowder. The Poles lifted their siege, but they had succeeded in defending Gdansk, as Gustavus Adolphus gave up his plans to assault Gdansk after he fell ill.